Two of the keys to the Cubs’ success in 2025 are the players expected to be the starting second baseman and third baseman, Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw.

In BCB After Dark, Sara Sanchez covered the question of who’ll play second base if Nico can’t start the season there, and you can discuss that portion of the question over there.

Meghan Montemurro of the Tribune confirms, in this article, that Nico won’t play the two games in Japan against the Dodgers, but could be ready for the North American start to the season:

Hoerner won’t make the trip with the team, manager Craig Counsell said Thursday. Hoerner is “very much tracking toward” being ready for the Cubs’ domestic opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 27 in Phoenix, Counsell added.

That’s tough for Nico, not being able to travel to Japan as one of the senior members of the team (only Ian Happ, among players on the current roster, has been with the Cubs longer). But it’s good news that he’ll likely only miss those two regular season games. He’ll obviously continue workouts in Mesa while the Cubs are overseas and likely play in the final five exhibition games when they return.

As for Shaw:

The Cubs haven’t made a decision about third baseman Matt Shaw’s availability for the Tokyo Series. Shaw, who has been sidelined by an oblique issue, likely will play in his first Cactus League game Sunday.

So that’s good news. Beginning Sunday, the Cubs still have nine Spring Training games before they depart for Tokyo, and if Shaw could play in maybe five or six of those and not have any further adverse effects from the oblique issue, I’d think he’d be a go for Japan. In any case, like Hoerner, even if Shaw can’t play in Tokyo, he’d almost certainly be ready for the series against the Diamondbacks beginning March 27.

Lastly, here are a few details about the Cubs roster for the Tokyo Series:

The Cubs won’t need to put Hoerner on the injured list before the games in Tokyo. The two-game series has unique roster rules in which each team can bring 31 players to Japan and deem 26 to be active for the games. An additional three players who don’t make the trip can be listed as inactive and don’t have to be put on the IL. Hoerner would fall in that group.

So there will be a five-player “taxi squad” brought to Japan in case of injury. It should be noted that if Shaw does go to Japan for the two-game series against the Dodgers, he’d have to be placed on the 40-man roster before the series, mandating a move of someone else off the 40-man. If not, the Cubs could wait until just before the March 27 game against Arizona to put Shaw on the 40-man.

As always, we await developments. Personally, I hope Shaw is ready to go. We’ll likely see how ready he is beginning Sunday, when the Cubs host the Reds at Sloan Park.